MANGALURU: Octogenarian K Narayana Naik retired as a teacher two decades ago but is called the “scholarship master” by students.
Naik visits schools and colleges across the undivided Dakshina Kannada to help students apply for the right scholarship.
Naik (80) will soon visit the undergraduate colleges of Mangalore University on Monday to educate candidates about available scholarships, sponsored through trusts/foundations. he will tell them which are based on religion and caste, which are labour-based and merit-based.
“I know the hardship of poor students as they struggle to pay the fees and meet their educational needs. I have experienced it myself. Therefore, I took up this initiative when I was about to retire in 2001. Since 2007, I have been reaching out to every educational institution, including schools, UG colleges, BEd colleges, polytechnics, and ITI colleges. I advise students on various types of scholarships available and which ones they should apply for,” Naik, who has worked in several primary and high schools, said.
Naik started the service when he was about to retire from the Government PU College in Vamadapadavu. “The college had about 600 students. After a year of guidance, the students were able to earn scholarships of Rs 10 lakh from Rs 10,000 that they were earlier getting,” Naik said.
After retirement, he worked in the college for two more years as a guest lecturer.
Naik, who holds a BEd and an MA degree and does not charge anything from the colleges, schools or students for the awareness talks he gives. Last year, he travelled up to the borders of Uttara Kannada district.
Besides, Naik visits households and meets senior citizens and donates 25% of his pension towards education for poor students.“The love of the people is important, not money,” Naik said.
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